Fellow Traveller Games
 | |
| Fellow Traveller Games | |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | October 2011 |
| Founders | Chris Wright |
| Website | fellowtraveller |
Surprise Attack Pty Ltd, trading as Fellow Traveller Games, is an Australian video game publisher. Founder Chris Wright launched the company in 2011 as a marketing consultancy. It announced publishing label Surprise Attack Games in 2013 and relaunched the company as Fellow Traveller Games in 2018.
History
Surprise Attack was launched in October 2011 by Chris Wright, who previously worked as marketing director for Blue Tongue Entertainment. Wright additionally assessed game loan applications for Film Victoria, where he noticed that many developers did not consider marketing. This led to founding Surprise Attack as a marketing consultancy firm for independent game developers.[1] In November, Wright commented that many games were being released "without edit" for 15-year-olds in Australia that were restricted in the United States and Europe. He believed the Australian Classification Board needed an "R18+ rating" for games, which legislation had recently approved implementation for.[2]
In July 2013, it launched publishing label Surprise Attack Games providing funding, marketing and distribution as Australia's first independent indie game publisher.[3][4] In July 2018, the company relaunched as Fellow Traveller Games, focusing on unusual narrative games.[5] When Kotaku Australia enquired about the changed direction from showcasing Australian games, Wright stated they realised that while the industry appreciated their local publishing, consumers were not interested in where a game was made. He believed an identity with an established flavor or style of game is needed to stand out in the market, noting that 3-4% of the Steam purchases are Australian.[6] In April 2019, Fellow Traveller announced digital convention LudoNarraCon celebrating narrative games. The event ran from 10 to 13 May, with livestreamed panels hosted on storefront Steam.[7]
Games published
References
- ^ Serrels, Mark (5 September 2012). "The Man Who Wants To Bring Australia's Games To The World". Kotaku Australia. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Conditt, Jessica (13 November 2011). "Australian indie: From ratings systems to a boom of small studios, how AU will survive". Engadget. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Pitcher, Jenna (17 July 2013). "Surprise Attack Games breaks new ground as Australia's first indie publisher". Polygon. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Starr, Michelle (17 July 2013). "Surprise Attack launches Australia's first indie game publisher". CNET. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew (24 July 2018). "Surprise Attack relaunches as Fellow Traveller Games". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Walker, Alex (25 July 2018). "Why One Publisher Is Moving Away From The Australian Made Brand". Kotaku Australia. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Blake, Vikki (9 May 2019). "Free, virtual narrative gaming celebration, LudoNarraCon, will launch next month". MCV. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Signor, Jeremy (8 July 2014). "Oscura: Second Shadow Review - Dim Light". Gamezebo. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
